NBA analyst and Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley joined The Press Box Monday morning to offer his take on the NBA Finals. And, naturally, he refused to hold back — from joking with Brandon Krisztal he’s his “only Jewish friend who’s a nobody,” claiming the Spurs are “one bad acting audition away” from losing, explaining why LeBron James can’t be beat in four games, and saying he wouldn’t give someone he hated Kawahi Leonard’s job this past week.

“I was listening to the game and watching it, and you thought the Spurs were up 15 points and they were only up eight,” Barkley said on The Press Box. “And then when it was tied at halftime, I said ‘Oh the Spurs are in trouble.’ That was the first — you know there’s always turning points in games — that was the first turning point. And then the biggest play was, when the Spurs were up two and they missed four straight free throws and LeBron came down and hit the three, I said, ‘Oh that’s it. That’s game, set and match.’

“I just don’t think you can beat LeBron James. He’s like Michael Jordan to me. I’m not comparing the two, but he’s just better than everybody else.”

After Game 1, when James left in the fourth quarter because of leg cramps, many were quick to claim that Jordan would never do such a thing. He would never back down because of cramps. (Even though he did.)

The comparisons and criticisms after Game 1 appeared ridiculous, and even LeBron James admitted that he’s “the easiest target in sports.” But with two championships, four MVP awards, two Finals MVPs, 10 All-Star appearances, a couple Olympic gold medals and many more accolades, the comparisons are inevitable.

But as Barkley believes, they’re inevitable only because the two are that much better than everyone else on the court.

Kawahi Leonard, left, has had to guard LeBron James in the Finals after guarding Oklahoma City’s stars in the previous series. (Tony Guitierrez, The Associated Press)

“I’m a big golf fan, and people talk about Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, how you’re intimidated,” Barkely said. “They’re not intimidating other guys. It’s not like they’re fighting out there. They’re just better than everyone else. I mean nobody was afraid of Jack Nicklaus, nobody was afraid of Tiger Woods. They were just better than everyone else.

“It’s the same way with LeBron and Michael. People would say Michael would befriend certain guys. Like, ‘Dude, we want to beat Michael. Trust me, we know how much trash he’s going to talk. We’re trying like hell. He’s just better than we are. I think we’re pretty damn good, but he’s just better than we are.'”

Barkley was then asked if Spurs forward Kawahi Leonard has to do more if his team hopes to contain James and ultimately win the series. And, unsurprisingly, Barkley couldn’t be more blunt.

“First off all, this guy just guarded Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and, let me tell you something. I watch basketball for a living, and I’m going to be honest with you,” Barkely said. “Obviously I think we all live in the moment, and I’m trying to be fair: I don’t think anybody in the history of basketball has had to guard three tougher guys in a week, period.

“I mean, think about it, he started out the (Oklahoma City) series guarding Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook starts going crazy, then (Leonard) starts trying to guard Russell Westbrook. Now he’s guarding LeBron James. Are you kidding me? If there was someone I disliked, I wouldn’t ask him to guard those three guys.”

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.